MAJORS STAY HOT, SWEEP THREE FROM CRICHTON

The Millsaps Majors continued their amazing run this weekend (4/9-4/10/04) by battering Crichton by the scores of 16-9, 8-6, and 17-7. The Majors have won nine straight and 20 of their last 21 games. They now own a sparkling 30-6 overall mark. Crichton dropped to 14-25.

Game one on Good Friday was a 3:07 marathon that featured 25 runs, 25 hits, twelve walks, six wild pitches, four hit batsmen, and five Crichton errors.

Millsaps led 5-1 after four when the Cardinals tallied three in the fifth to cut the gap to 5-4. That was as close as they would get, however, as the Majors exploded for five in both the seventh and eighth innings. The five runs in the eighth were all unearned as Crichton committed three costly errors.

Todd Kindler (6-1) went seven strong innings, allowing four runs while striking out seven as he picked up his sixth win of the season. Burke (2-3) took the loss for Crichton.

The hitting stars were numerous for the Majors. Scott Staines (3 for 4, three RBI), Ryan Skertich (2 for 5, three runs scored, three RBI, homer), Jason Hadley (3 for 5, three runs scored, two RBI), Garner Wetzel (two runs scored, two RBI), Bo Roberts (two RBI), Stu Phillips (3 for 4), and Nick Crawford (three runs scored) led the way.

Game two on Saturday was played in hot, humid conditions. It looked like another blowout as the Majors led 6-2 after two innings. Crichton had other ideas, however, as they tallied one in the third and three more in the fifth to tie things at six in the seven inning affair.

Millsaps won it in the sixth as Roberts led off with a single followed by a Hadley free pass. Crawford the laid down a perfect sac bunt to advance the runners to second and third with just one out. Skertich then increased his team-leading RBI total (43) with a sac fly to right. Staines capped the rally with a bullet RBI double to the left-center gap.

Lefty starter Stephen Kirkpatrick went 4 2/3 innings before giving way to reliever Tal Hendrix in the fifth. The Millsaps closer recorded five strikeouts in just 2 1/3 innings as he improved to 7-0 on the year. The game ended on a nifty 5-4-3 double play (Staines to Crawford to Ben Wilson). Hurdle (1-4) was pinned with the loss.

Millsaps was led offensively by Skertich (2 for 4, two runs scored, two RBI), Phillips (two RBI), Staines (2 for 3, RBI), and Roberts (two runs scored).

The Saturday finale featured three big innings for Millsaps as they struck for five in the first, four in the fourth, and eight in the fifth. Crichton scored three in the third and four in the seventh.

Crichton starter Bucano (0-2) could not get out of the first as he had trouble finding the plate, walking five of the seven hitters he faced. The Majors scored their first-inning runs with the benefit of just one hit. Crichton used four hurlers in the game.

Jason Brown (2-2) went three innings by design, giving up just one earned run. John Fox also worked three innings, allowing just one hit and no runs.

Wetzel had a big day at the dish, going 2 for 3 with four RBI. Other Majors with nice days included Roberts (1 for 1, three runs scored, three RBI), Wilson (2 for 2, three runs scored, two RBI), Hadley (two RBI), Staines (three runs scored, RBI), Skertich (2 for 3, two runs scored, RBI), and Phillips (two runs scored).

Next up for Millsaps is a Wednesday trip to Memphis for one more with Crichton before heading home for the big SCAC regular-season series finale (Saturday and Sunday) against Trinity.

The Majors received some good news on Saturday when they learned that Trinity lost to Southwestern, meaning that Millsaps and Trinity are now tied at 15-3 in the Western Division. Millsaps, which defeated the Tigers two of three earlier this year, needs to win one of the two games to clinch the number one seed in the SCAC Tournament, which runs from April 22-25 in Atlanta.

The Majors wrap up regular season play on Monday, April 19 at Mississippi College in a game that will determine the Cowboy Maloney Series champion for 2004.